Gaming in the United States is divided into Class I, Class II and Class III games. Class I gaming includes social games played for minimal prizes, or traditional ceremonial games. Class II gaming includes bingo games, pull tab games if played in the same location as bingo games, lotto, punch boards, tip jars, instant bingo, and other games similar to bingo. Class III gaming includes any game that is not a Class I or Class II game, such as a game of chance typically offered in non-Indian, state-regulated casinos. Many games of chance that are played on gaming machines fall into the Class II and Class III categories of games.
As technology in the gaming industry progresses, the traditional mechanically driven reel slot machines are being replaced with electronic counterparts, that is, electronic gaming machines having video displays based on CRT, LCD, plasma, or the like. Electronic gaming machines such as video slot machines and video poker machines are becoming increasingly popular. Part of the reason for their increased popularity is the nearly endless variety of games that can be made available for play on a single gaming machine. Advancements in video and electronic gaming enable the operation of more complex games that would not otherwise be possible on mechanical-driven gaming machines or personal computers.
Various games, particularly the Class II and Class III categories of games, can be implemented as server-based games in a server-client system. In a server-based gaming arrangement, a gaming server serves multiple gaming machines as clients. For example, a casino can include a plurality of gaming machines located on the game floor, and a connected gaming server located in a back room of the casino. Generally, the games and capabilities of a gaming machine depend on the central server. Games can be downloaded from the central server to the gaming machines for execution, for instance, when initiated by casino operations management. Alternatively, the central server can execute the games and output game data to the gaming machines.
To enhance the gaming experience, there are a number of peripheral components/devices that can be connected to a gaming machine such as a slot machine or video poker machine. Examples of these devices include player tracking units, lights, ticket printers, card readers, speakers, bill acceptors/validators, ticket readers, coin acceptors, display panels, key pads, coin hoppers and button pads. These peripheral devices are built into the gaming machine or otherwise attached to the gaming machine. For instance, a top box is often constructed as a separate component on top of the gaming machine.
Typically, using a master gaming controller, a gaming machine controls various combinations of devices that allow a player to play a game on the gaming machine and also encourage game play on the gaming machine. For example, a game played on a gaming machine usually requires a player to input money or an indicia of credit into the gaming machine, indicate a wager amount, and initiate game play. These steps require the gaming machine to control input devices, such as bill acceptors/validators and coin acceptors, to accept money into the gaming machine and recognize user inputs from devices, including key pads, button pads, card readers, and ticket readers, to determine the wager amount, and initiate game play.
After game play has been initiated, the gaming machine determines a game outcome, presents the game outcome to the player and may dispense an award of some type depending on the outcome of the game. A game outcome presentation may utilize many different visual and audio components such as lights, music, sounds and graphics. The visual and audio components of the game outcome presentation may be used to draw a player's attention to various game features and to heighten the player's interest in additional game play.
Maintaining a game player's interest in game play, such as on a gaming machine or during other gaming activities, is an important consideration for an operator of a gaming establishment. More and more gaming services are being provided to gaming machines to maintain player interest. These services can be offered via communication networks that link groups of gaming machines to a remote computer, such as a host server, that provides one or more gaming services. As an example, gaming services that may be provided by a remote computer to a gaming machine via a communication network of some type include player tracking, accounting, cashless award ticketing, lottery, progressive games, and bonus games or prizes. These services and features are provided in addition to the games that are available for play on the gaming machines.